More trouble for Obama nominee to be envoy to Iraq

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Senate Republicans are pressing the White House to dump its nominee to be the next U.S. ambassador to Iraq, citing concerns about his abilities and judgment amid allegations that he acted inappropriately while working at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad during President George W. Bush's second term.

Six GOP members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee sent a letter to President Barack Obama on Wednesday calling on him to withdraw Brett McGurk's nomination. In the letter, they say McGurk "lacks the leadership and management experience" needed for the job.

The senators said their "strong concerns" about McGurk's qualifications were amplified by emails detailing what they called his "unprofessional conduct."

"Recent information has surfaced to call into question the prudence of moving forward with the nominee at this time," they said.

A senior administration official said the White House and State Department were discussing how to proceed.

The emails indicate that McGurk had an intimate relationship with a Baghdad-based female American journalist while he was married to another woman and working at the embassy there in 2008. McGurk has since married the reporter, Gina Chon, who resigned from the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday after acknowledging that she violated in-house rules by showing McGurk unpublished stories.

"We believe the nominee lacks the leadership and management experience necessary to head America's largest embassy, in one of the world's most volatile regions," they said.

The letter is signed by Sens. Jim DeMint of South Carolina, James Risch of Idaho, John Barrasso of Wyoming, Mike Lee of Utah, Marco Rubio of Florida and James Inhofe of Oklahoma.

The senators complained that McGurk, who was first assigned to the U.S. embassy in Baghdad as a National Security Council staffer during the Bush administration and then led negotiations with Iraqi officials over an agreement that would govern security cooperation after U.S. troops left the country, had also alienated some Iraqi politicians.

"Finally, the public release of information detailing unprofessional conduct demonstrates poor judgment and will affect the nominee's credibility in the country where he has been nominated to serve," the senators said. "Together, these issues cannot be overlooked. The U.S.-Iraq relationship is of the utmost importance to us, and we respectfully request that you withdraw this nominee and nominate someone with the qualifications necessary to ensure success in this position."

The administration had defended McGurk, saying he is "uniquely qualified" for the post and that he had undergone a rigorous vetting process before being nominated.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is scheduled to vote on McGurk's nomination on Tuesday. From there it would be sent to the full Senate for a vote. But the fact that as many as six senators oppose McGurk suggests that at least one will place a hold on the nomination, which could kill it. Unless the hold was lifted, Obama would either have to withdraw the nomination or bypass Senate confirmation with a recess appointment.

The emails were not raised during McGurk's confirmation hearing last week.

Sen. John McCain has criticized McGurk for his failure to negotiate a residual U.S. force in Iraq after combat troops left in December 2011. The Arizona Republican said this week that the "unraveling of Iraq" underscores why Americans should have had a small force in the country. And, a spokesman for Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., said there were "concerning issues" about McGurk's nomination.

A former Supreme Court law clerk to the late Chief Justice William Rehnquist, McGurk worked as a lawyer for the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion and joined Bush's National Security Council staff, where in 2007 and 2008, when the emails were written, he was the lead U.S. negotiator on security agreements with Iraq.

After a brief stint outside government with the Council on Foreign Relations, a think tank, he returned to Baghdad last year as a senior adviser to the current U.S. ambassador to Iraq, James Jeffrey.

Associated Press

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